ABOUT THE COVER

Artist Unknown. Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar, mid-17th century. Bronze, with red-brown lacquer patina, Height: 17½ in / 44.5 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA; The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982.

An Immortal Hero, an Enduring Challenge

Byron Breedlove and Paul M. Arguin

ercules1 has endured as perhaps the most popular fig- performed those tasks as penance for having murdered his Hure from Greek mythology for nearly 3 millennia. own wife and children during a fit of madness. Central to his myth is the story cycle about the 12 pre- For the fourth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to sumably impossible labors he carried out for the loathed capture the vicious Erymanthian Boar, a menacing beast King Eurystheus. Sometimes overlooked is that Hercules that would descend from its lair on the mountain of Ery- manthus each day, trampling the farmlands and attacking Author affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, man and beast. Surprising the boar in its lair, Hercules Atlanta, Georgia, USA 1In this essay, we use the Roman name Hercules to indicate the DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2207.AC2207 Greek hero Herakles.

1328 Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 22, No. 7, July 2016 ABOUT THE COVER drove his quarry into the deep snow, where he subdued the diseases. Zoonotic diseases are caused by any of more than exhausted boar and then carried it to the king’s court. Ac- 200 pathogenic agents, including bacteria, viruses, para- cording to the myth, when the cowardly King Eurystheus sites, and fungi, transmitted directly or indirectly from ani- heard the snorting, grunting beast and realized that Hercu- mals to humans. For instance, the Erymanthian Boar could les had succeeded, the king hastily hid in a buried pithos have felled Hercules via microbiology instead of muscle jar, imploring Hercules to remove the boar. and tusk. Hercules’ capture of the Erymanthian Boar, a tempt- Hercules’ risks did not stop with the Boar. In slaying ing subject for artists, has been immortalized on coins and and then skinning the formidable Nemean Lion and stalk- amphora; on a Roman sarcophagus; in paintings, films, ing and capturing the sacred Hind of Ceryneia, Hercules and sketches; and through myriad sculptures. The identity was at risk for various zoonotic diseases. Cleaning the Au- of the sculptor who created the elegant bronze statue re- gean stables exposed him to enteric pathogens from the vast produced for his month’s cover is not known. This work quantities of manure generated by teeming herds of cows, is thought to be modeled on earlier works by an imitator sheep, horses, and goats. Additional exposures occurred or student of the Flemish sculptor Giambologna (1529– when he wrestled the Cretan Bull and stole the Cattle of 1608), the court sculptor to the Medici grand dukes in Geryon. Hercules’ efforts to dispel the Stymphalian Birds Florence. He had produced a set of bronze statuettes of and capture the Mares of Diomedes may have exposed him the 12 labors and supervised the work and training of nu- to zoonoses acquired from birds and equids. And finally, merous assistants. why was the great 3-headed dog Cerberus so furious and This bronze portrays the aftermath of the chase. The out of control—rabies perhaps? figure of Hercules resolutely strides toward the court, The human web of daily activities crosses many eco- clasping the huge boar over his shoulder with his left arm, systems. Animals provide food, transportation, companion- balancing it with the club he holds aloft in his right hand. ship, and if you are Hercules, occasionally a wrestling ad- The textures of the bronze offer visual and tactile contrasts. versary. Managing and limiting infectious risks associated Hercules’ body is cast in smooth bronze, which height- with the intricate connections among humans, animals, ens his physical prowess and musculature. The struggling and our environments prove to be challenging, complex boar’s bristly hide, Hercules’ hair and beard, and the pat- endeavors. It’s not hyperbole to label this undertaking a terns in his wooden club reveal the artist’s nimble touch in Herculean task. working with bronze. A Metropolitan Museum of Art com- mentary notes that “The present statuette is extremely light Bibliography in weight, with a dark but warm brown patina and richly 1. Gibbons MW. Giambologna: narrator of the Catholic reformation variegated tool marks, such as the punch marks that articu- [cited 2016 May 9]. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft9n39p3vz/ 2. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar late the club.” [cited 2016 Apr 18]. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/ Although his strength and vigor are realized through this search/207005 statue, Hercules would not have redeemed himself through 3. Tufts Digital Library. The Erymanthian Boar [cited 2016 Apr 23]. his struggles and suffering alone, and ultimately become im- http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/boar.html 4. The Walters Art Museum. Hercules carrying the Erymanthian mortal, without also using his cunning and skill. He frequent- Boar [cited 2016 May 9]. http://art.thewalters.org/detail/8509/ ly sought the counsel of others in the course of his undertak- hercules-carrying-the-erymanthian-boar/ ings. During this labor, it was the centaur Chiron (though 5. World Health Organization. Zoonoses and the human-animal- some versions say it was a different centaur named Pholus) ecosystems interface [cited 2016 May 19]. http://www.who.int/ zoonoses/en/ who advised Hercules to drive the boar into the snow. While completing his fourth labor, Hercules was po- Address for correspondence: Byron Breedlove, EID Journal, Centers tentially exposed to dangers that also threatened mortal for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop C19, men of his time and ours: possible exposure to zoonotic Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, USA; email: [email protected]

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